lost elec. start...then charging sys.

[sbmike]

been running up the mile on my 71' R75/5 over the last couple of weeks. a trip to indy and a day tour of the western front of Indiana a couple of weeks ago and last weekend a pretty standard ride to Chicago. The trip home from Chi-town to South Bend, IN...not so smooth. On the way out to Chicago, i lost the elecric start...no big deal...kick it! no troubles seemed to be looming and a mechanic I met in passing said a possible relay. Fine. The trip home at 11:30 PM resulted in a dimming head lamp...hhhmmm? Lost the charging system it seems. Ran a good part of 100m journey home with no head light, tailing a tractor trailer, using the mass as defense from animals and his tail lights as a path marker and my own brake light as a rear end deterrent. Made it home safely. The old girl hasn't failed to park me at the doorstep yet! She's a great piece and i love riding this mc. Very few real problems have i had on this bike and so far none have left me stranded!

However, the said relay has 7 wires plugged into it. Is the electric starter failure in some way connected to the charging system? The bike is always hooked up to a tender when it's in my garage. I checked as many connections in the truck stop parking lot as i could and found nothing. even took the headlight out and inspected the innards of the bucket. pulled the tank...blah, blah, blah.

I then checked bobs for a part and found no such item as a starter relay switch. Taking her up to Kirt's Motorwerks in Niles, MI for a check up saturday morn. just looking for opinions, suggestions. Thanks for your time!

[mmmalmberg]

Well I have no doubt this will sort out quickly, and yes if your charging systems weak, the battery's low, your starter relay might well not kick in. You kick start it, your charger's putting out maybe enough to generate a spark but not much more... it all makes sense. Could be the battery, diode board, volatage regulator, generator, but they will sort it out quickly at the shop. Maybe someone else here can pinpoint the problem with a sixth sense of some sort...

This was what I loved about my /2, which ran off a magneto. Nothing much mattered as far as charging went - the bike would always run, even if I'd taken the battery out for the winter... Good luck!

[sumran]

I have a later model so there may be some variations. The starter relay is prone to corrosion, though you should not have the brake fluid that contributes to the problem. On mine, the charging system feeds through the starter relay. I installed a bypass wire keep a bad connection or relay from disabling the charging system. I believe there are detailed instructions on Snowbum's site, but I don't have access to that currently.

If you lost charging, the starter would be the first to go and then lights would fail as the battery drained. How is your gen light behaving? Do /5's have the same potential to lose charging if the gen light burns out? There are several /5 experts in these parts that will help you resolve the problem. Good luck.

[AnnapolisAirhead]

I then checked bobs for a part and found no such item as a starter relay switch.

Starter Relay is p/n 12411350775 about $70.00. Those connections to it get boogers in them from time to time. Pull them off one at a time, sand, di-electric grease them and then try it.

IMO opinion, it could be your charging system is not functioning properly and during your trips has worn the battery down to the point you might not have enough juice to engage the starter. This could be a shorted rotor which is pretty easy to test. Lot;s on here about that.

It could be your diode board, but I'd test the rotor first. Then the voltage regulator.

When you push the key down, what lights are on?

Is your bike fused in the headlight? Check those. If blown, you'll need to track down the cause.

[sbmike]

thanks for the good advice, everyone.
When the key is on, 2 yellow lights shine brightly. Neutral/ign. I keep the bike on a battery tender daily so i am not convinced it has been wearing down between rides. The batt is fully charged now and still not electric start. i can live without the electric start... I will hopefully find out and have the problem fixed by this afternoon. I will let you all know how it went. I will take your ideas and discuss with the mechanic. Thanks again!